Hydra

When I saw the title, I thought we were in for another Marvel origin movie - this time about the evil organization the Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D. spend their lives fighting. Not the case. This one's a subtitled Japanese crime flick that's long on action and short on everything else. The fight scenes will justify the time for any martial arts junkies who remember to set the rest of their expectations on low.

First-time director Kensuke Sonomura, who also appears in a substantial role, has 75 stunt gigs under his (presumably) black belt. That history allowed him to choreograph a couple of the most exciting, unique fight scenes in the genre. No wires or CGI pyrotechnics. Just a couple of foes squaring off in gritty matches of speed and agility with normal-people weapons. These scenes are akin to the cherished chase scene in Steve McQueen's Bullitt - exciting for their atypically bare-bones staging.

The plot centers around a disenchanted hitman who has secretly dedicated himself to protecting the daughter of a deceased colleague. When trouble arises from some local gangs, it's time to get back in the saddle. The details matter little, and, frankly, could have used the hand of a skilled editor to bring them into a more cohesive narrative. As it plays out now, timelines, characters and motivations are rather muddled, isolating the fights as the main, if not only, attraction.

Stunt men can ripen into outstanding directors. Clint Eastwood and Hal Needham come quickly to mind in that regard. Sonomura might get there. He's still young. If he surrounds himself with skilled storytellers to balance his wealth of action knowledge, he could be a contendah.

I was trying to remember the name of this movie for the last month or so and serendipitily came across it in my Prime Video feed.

It was not as good as I remembered unfortunately. There are maybe three action scenes and while they are different than the usual fare they aren't spectacular. This movie is 65 minutes of boringness, 10 minutes of action and 5 minutes of credits. The story is a bit muddled and it is hard to figure out what is happening. It seems to be either a pilot, a vanity project or a pilot for a TV series. If you want something with a similar plot try 'The Killer' or 'The Man from Nowhere' both movies from Korea (2022 and 2010 respectively)

As far as low budget independent Japanese action films go, it doesn't get much better than this. This little gem is the directorial debut of stuntman/actor Kensuke Sonomura. Sure it wasn't perfect, but rookie filmmaker mistakes aside, it was a really well put together film. The mere 77 min runtime flew by even with the slow pacing, mostly due to the fact that each scene was relevant to the narrative, and just the right length to fill in the necessary back, current and upcoming sub-plots. I actually would've wanted more runtime to fill in some backstories more, and better character development in some of the characters. As an action film, there's really only two action scenes, but man are they choreographed and filmed exceptionally well, and are executed lightning-fast. I sure hope this little gem has some sequels in the works, because I do want more.

So Hydra is one of the movie that I'm been dying to see after the release of Re: Born (2016) Japan answer to the booming of the new gun-jiujitsu style of action movies that started with John Wick. Unlike the Western folks, the Japanese adapted to this new trend with a different approach when they complete drop the realistic aspect and amplified the wow factor with hypnotic body movement and flashy hand to hand combat techniques that look outer-worldly cool to the eyes of audience. Kensuke Sonomura who body of works already speak volume in the low-budget action movie scene of Japan teaming up with Masanori Mimoto another veteran of the scene to create Hydra a low budget action movie that clearly a passion project that mean much for these guys yet end up bitten off more than it can chew. Hydra despite the short runtime and easy to digest premise was a real snooze-fest that barely saved by the action when it not only short but also so few and far between. I'm still think that the movie is worth watching on the choreography alone but I'm you really want to see something different from the usual Hollywood stuff, check out Re: Born and hopefully Baby Assassin in the future.

Hydra Is a Small Film That Packs a Big Punch. Hydra is a Japanese martial arts action action drama released by Well Go USA this week. The film marks Kensuke Sonomura's directorial debut and stars Masanori Mimoto as Takashi, the lead role. It is surprisingly good. After retiring as an assassin, Takashi leads a quiet life as a chef at a sushi bar, where he secretly watches over the daughter of a former associate. His peace is short-lived: soon, he is recruited for a final job that he simply can't refuse. Unlike some of the high profile martial arts action film releases of recent days, like Mortal Kombat, Hydra is not a sensational film saturated with special effects and "larger than life" action scenes. Hydra is a tightly compact, low key thriller whose characters are compelling. Mimoto is a character of few words; however, there is great depth to his performance and, as a viewer, you can't help but feel empathy for his pointless struggle to leave his violent past behind him. While this is an age old theme in the action genre, it resonates well in this film. While the film is well scripted and well acted, it is the martial arts direction and choreography that really stands out in this one. Kensuke Sonomura joins a growing list of action and stunt directors that have transitioned from second unit to the film's main Director. Like Jesse V. John and John Wick's, Chad Stahelski, Sonomura demonstrates that a martial arts action film can fully integrate a solid story with great fight and stunt choreography. This film does just that. Hydra is not just a movie with great fight choreography, it is a great movie. Like 2019's masterful Korean film, Revenger, Sonomura employs a gritty, realistic approach to the interesting, engaging, violent, and satisfying fight scenes in this film. The lack of "shaky-cam", the lack of high wire acrobatics, and the lack of sequences that look good on film but would never occur in a real fight combine to make some hypnotic and memorable fight sequences. It helps that Mansori Mimoto is a gifted martial artist with a subtle, but strong, screen presence. I look forward to more from Sonomura, and from Mimoto.